Van Liew settles with fellow Town Meeting rep

CHELMSFORD -- A Superior Court lawsuit between two Town Meeting representatives has been settled.

Roland Van Liew sued Frances McDougall in December 2010, alleging that she caused emotional distress to him and his wife in comments she made in online message boards.

The postings were "hateful, scornful and spiteful," Van Liew said in the lawsuit, including one in which she posted his home address and phone number on an online message board, urging people to contact him. That posting was in response to mailings Van Liew sent to Chelmsford residents.

"He has chosen to enter into our homes with his libelous mailings," McDougall wrote, "so it is time for us to reach out to him in his domain. Start sending those letters now."

Her postings, Van Liew said, also incited "hateful and racist comments" from other commenters.

McDougall responded in the lawsuit by saying she never intended to cause emotional distress and couldn't be held responsible for the actions of others.

Neither McDougall, Van Liew nor their respective attorneys would give details about the settlement Friday, saying they were ordered not to discuss it as part of the agreement. The settlement, Van Liew said, was "acceptable to both parties."

The initial lawsuit charged McDougall with intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligent infliction of emotional distress, with the latter charge later dropped.

Van Liew has lost a series of court cases recently.

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In July, a Lowell District Court judge dismissed Van Liew's lawsuit against Planning Board Chairwoman Colleen Stansfield. Van Liew alleged malicious prosecution when she sought, and was temporarily granted, a harassment-prevention order against him.

In November, a Superior Court judge ruled in favor of the town in a lawsuit in which Van Liew argued the town failed to enforce a preservation restriction for the controversial 9 North Road office-building project.

Van Liew has appealed both those decisions.

In December, Van Liew lost a lawsuit against the town in which he argued Chelmsford violated state public-records laws by not providing him with documents he requested in a series of records filings. The town said it had no such documents that matched his requests, and the judge agreed. Van Liew said he didn't intend to file an appeal in that case.

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